Everybody Scream Your Heart Out
by StandingOnTheRooftops
Summary: Duo gets a girl, Quatre has a temper-tantrum, Dorothy meddles, and Trowa raises an eyebrow. Hmm... what's going on here? FINISHED! Epilogue Posted!
1. When We First Met

**Everybody Scream Your Heart Out**

**Gundam Wing Fanfic**

**short story, pro'lly 'bout six or so chapters. Duo's POV. Duo gets a girl, Quatre has a temper tantrum, and Trowa raises his eyebrow( bet ya didn't see that one comeing). It might not all seem to fit the same topic... but it does when you add that Duo's new girl is Quatre's sister, er... one of them at least.**

**Disclaimer: Nope, don't own them. But you already knew that, didn't you? **

**Oh, and if you couldn't guess... this is DuoxOC, so don't say you weren't warned. And a few OOC moments for everybody's favorite blonde Gundam pilot- but hey, everyone's out of character when it comes to family. And who am I kidding? I like to tease that cute little blonde.**

**And yeah, I know the title kind of dosen't fit, but Oh, well. It's part of 'Rooftops' by the LostProphets.**

**Oh, yeah. And I know I'm always pretty much anti Dorothy/Quatre and certainly anti Trowa/Cahterine. But it fit this story... and this story is about Duo, so oh well. And yeah... it's all Het. No Yaoi.**

**R&R, cause feedback keeps me going.**

**'The moment when we're meeting,**

**Will play out like a scene,**

**Straight off the silver screen,'**

_**Gotta Be Somebody, Nickleback**_

Chapter one:

When we first met...

"Come on," Quatre said, tossing the over-stuffed throw pillow across the room at Duo. "You and Hilde have been broken up for what? A year now? You really need to get back out there. The old Duo would have already jumped at the chance."

"Easy for you to say," came the reply, "You're all snuggled up with that war-crazy she-devil in a mini-skirt."

Quatre frowned and Duo smirked. Anyone talking bad about Dorothy Catalonia usually got the silent treatment from the normally friendly Quatre. _Usually._

"Fine," Quatre said. "Just do it your way, then. Be hardheaded. Be lonely. Be..." A very loud screech echoed through the mansion. It had come from outside. Quatre sighed and rolled his eyes. "Dear, oh, dear. Looks like Cara's home."

"Cara?"

"My sister. Or one of the at least. The youngest, besides me."

"Which still makes her older than you," Duo pointed out. "Ain't she the one who just had her birthday? The one that had you all snappy and bitchy?"

He'd removed himself from the couch to go to the window, looking out, he did a double take with his mouth hanging open.

"Yes," Quatre said quietly. He didn't like thinking about it, Duo thought even as he noticed what was by the front door.

"Wow... please tell me that the extremely awesome motorcycle in front of the front door is not your sister's."

"That would be Cara. She'll be staying for a while. But it shouldn't be a problem. The place is big enough. Come along. At least you can be friendly and come say helo to her."

"Is your sister single?"

"Yes... but don't get any ideas. Cara's not your type of person. Very little sense of humor, very pacifist. Very shy, very smart, and really aloof. And she dosen't like soldiers."

"Long as she has legs... with that 'cycle, I'm over my head already."

Duo saw Quatre start to open his mouth, then think better of it and just roll his eyes.

Duo nearly did another double take when he saw Quatre's sister. She had his classic pale blonde hair and fair skin, and her eyes were a light shade of aquamarine, a few tints lighter than Quatre's. She was alot taller than her brother, and most of that was leg. A good stretch of leg encased in tight fighting faded out blue jeans. Her peach colored top was a loose, gauzy, billowy thing that hung off her shoulders. She held a black helment in one hand, and ran manicured fingers through her bangs. The rest of her waist-lenght mass of hair was pulled in a severe french braid to withstand the wind and the hement.

"Cara..." Quatre smiled when they were close to her.

"Quatre," she said softly. There was genuine love in her voice, if not the same enthusiasim that infused Quatre's voice. It made Duo curious.

"Cara, this is Duo Maxwell. He's..."

"Another Gundam pilot," she said without enthusiasm, and just a tint of disdaine. Her eyes drifted over him, though. And not quite as hollow as it should have been. Duo immidiately liked her voice. Clear, beautiful, even when it wasn't saying exactly nice things. "Another soldier from days of running around saving the world. Not interested."

"Cara, we did very important..."

"Things. You ran around in your suits fighting and killing..."

"It was nessesary."

"Yes. It was. I've never said it wasn't. But remember that Heero guy? You're all like him. You forget that there were people here fighting a different kind of fight, trying to fix what you broke. You think that what you did was the only thing that was important... nessesary."

She stared at her brother for a moment, but her gaze had lingered on Duo's face. It was the eyes, he thought. Always his blessed, beautiful, violet eyes.

And then she turned and stalked off.

"Hold's a grudge?" He asked Quatre, staring after his sister. Quatre was upset again... just as he'd been a few months ago on Cara's birthday. Duo didn't think that having family was all that much fun all the time.

"No, no. It's just. Cara was a doctor at a hospital during the war. Sometimes she worked thirty-hour shifts taking care of people... people that more than likely I'd put there." Quatre's voice was unusually soft, and a bit hurt. Obviously he loved his eccentric sister, but it did pain him that she still had a sour note against him.

Duo shrugged. He understood more than he let on. And he did understand her little attitude. He knew about the lives he'd took, and the lives he'd shattered. And he knew that as bad as his life was, the life of someone who healed the wounds he'd inflicted would be worse. It was easy enough to take a life, when you found a good enough reason. But it took skill to give one back.

So Quatre was right about his sister. Aloof, he'd seen that just now in the way she'd nearly turned up her nose at them. Smart. Had to have been to be a doctor. Pacifist, she'd pointed out how she'd detested her brother's career choice. And as for the shy, and no sense of humor part, Duo guessed he'd have to find out himself.

And damn, he added as an after thought, watching her still striding down the long hallway, her heels clicking on the marble floor.

She had one hell of a rear-end.


	2. What I've Missed

**'Cause all this time, I've been to blind to understand**

**what should matter to me.**

**My friend, in this life we live, it's not what we have,**

**but what we beleive.'**

_**It's Not My Time, 3 Doors Down**_

Chapter Two:

_What I've Missed..._

Duo sat in the corner of the room when she came in a few hours later. She didn't see him, but went straight to where Quatre was sitting on a small couch. She came up behind him, settled her arms around his neck in a backwards hug. She rested her head against his cheek in a familial way.

"I'm sorry, Baby Brother," she said softly. "It's just it was a very hard time at the hospital lately. It'll do me good to have a few weeks vacation, so I'll quite bitting peoples heads off all the time." She sighed. "It's good to be home- even if I don't show it quite that well."

Duo watched as Quatre reached behind him with one hand to hug her back, pulling her closer.

"Cara. I love you so much, that's why it hurts me so much to see you in such moods. I know it's not you."

She kissed his cheek, whispered, "I love you, too," to him, and then left.

So that was it, Duo mused. Forgiving family was just that easy. An 'I'm sorry,' and a 'I love you' and it was all over, forgotten in hugs and kisses. What would it be like to have a family like that.... like Quatre's. They were all so important... doctors, Gundam pilots, and such. But they were so utterly human. They had little fights, just like other people. But they made up. And someone would always be there to watch your back, to look out for you.

How long had it been since he'd had a family? Certainly the orphanage was a type of family, but it wasn't the same. And he couldn't remember much about his life before. Very little, in fact. And his life on the streets was far from a happy time. Even the Sweepers couldn't constitue a real family. Duo thought about the strange sensation coming over him. It was unusual for him.

Envy, the thought. He was jelous of Quatre and his family.

She was sitting prettily by the pool in a very conservative black one-piece bathingsuit, her hair pulled up in some messy little knot and held there by about four clips and one very, very red ribbon.

Duo sighed as he climbed the ladder once again. He'd been doing acrobatic flips off of the high diving board for the past half-hour, and she hadn't seemed to notice. Her nose was stuck between the pages of a little paper-back book and an open bottle of suntan lotion lay beside the lounge chair, though it didn't seem to be doing her any good. She'd been outside for at least four hours now, and she hadn't tanned in the slightest. A little bag lay open beside her, a hair brush- whatever for, he didn't know, a few hair clips, another book, and another bottle of tanning lotion peaking out of it. Her towl was drapped on the lounge chair she reclined in.

He stood on the board and rallied himself for one last dive, and then he was giving up. Pulling together his nerves, he took one bounce, two bounce, three bounces... and jumped.

He imidiately knew he was in a horridly wrong position to do the double somersault he'd been planning on. He tried to twist, and only succeded in turning his botched dive into a wildly splashy cannonball, hitting the water with his back.

He moaned as he came back up for breath, and then tried to slink back under the water with embarrasment.

She was soaking wet, her novel thoroughly soaked. But she was laughing.

Here he was, his back stinging like he'd fell onto a concrete floor, and.... yes, he thought... his braid had come loose and his hair was falling in damp, soaking strands all over the place. But she was laughing.

At him and not with him, to be sure, but at least she'd noticed- and wasn't mad about the splash.

"Glad to see you think it's so damn funny," he snapped, pulling wet hair out of his face and pulling himself up the ladder and out of the pool.

"But it is," she said after a few moments. "You've been out here all day long trying to impress me in some way or another. Every guy does. But usually when they mess up, it isn't quite so... splashy."

She smiled. A genuine, real-deal found himself smiling back as he pulled his hair to the side to wring it out. Damn. Why'd his braid have to come undone now?

She laughed again and pulled out the hair brush. She shifted, scooting back and higher up on the chair. She patted the lower end of the chair seat with her brush.

"Come here, come here. Don't you know that wringing your hair like that will break it?"

When he cautiously took a step forward, she reached behind her to grab the towel- still mostly dry, amazingly.

"Sit down. I can't reach all the way up there," she commanded with a smile.

Duo sank down on the chair gently and cautiously, still wondering what she was up too. She attacked his hair with the towel, quickly getting most of the water out. Then, she started to brush it. Section by section, she pulled the comb through his dark brown hair, gently discouraging tangles and knots.

He let his head lean into her ministrations and slowly relaxed. How long had it been since someone else had brushed his hair? Hilde certainly never had- she was more handy with a socket wrentch than a hair brush. He was normally qite protective of his hair, but her fingers, stroking through behind each brush stroke, were gentle.

Cara worked quickly, quietly, and efficiently, and quicker than he would have thought possible, his hair was mostly dry and completely tangle free. Then she pulled it back in a neat braid. He pulled it around to see. She had tied it off with more of her red ribbon- probably pulled from her bag. But, Thank God, she'd somehow managed to hide the ends so that unlike her, he didn't have blood red streamers falling out of his hair.

"Nice work," he commented, for lack of anything better to say. What did you say to a girl who'd just dryed, brushed, and braided your hair?

"Come's from having so many sister's," she said, dropping her brush back in the bag. "You aught to get Baby Brother to braid it for you sometime... he has a mean french braid."

She was grinning, but Duo shuddered at the thought of letting Quatre loose on his hair.

"No thanks." He let his braid drop back behind him. Not only did she have a sense of humor, but she wasn't all that shy. Boy, did Quatre guess wrong on this one.

**AN: Feeback is cherished. So please reveiw and tell me how it was! Thanks!**


	3. Iodine and Chocolate

**'This is going to bring me clarity,**

**This'll to take the heart right out of me.'**

_**She Is, The Fray**_

Chapter Three:

Iodine and Chocolate

Damn, damn, damn, he cursed aloud and to himself as he clutched his hand. He peered at his index finger and the large splinter embedded in his flesh. Damn that stupid wood sculpture. He'd tried photography, painting, music, and now even wood sculpting. He couldn't do anything. The chemicals in the photolab had knocked him out cold, he'd ended up painting more of himself than the canvas, Quatre's piano was still out-of-commission from Duo's mis-fated run in with it... and now, he'd managed to spear himself with a piece of wood sculputre.

Throwing the wood across the room where it bounced harmlessly off the bookcase before hitting the floor and shattering into multiple peices, he stormed out the door to go find something- anything- to yank this damn splinter out. And knowing him- and his current state of mind, he'd have to cut half his finger off just to get ahold of the stupid thing.

Cara jerked her head up when he stormed into the kitchen. She had the makings of chocolate brownies setting on the counter. A large bowl of fudge, a cup of walnuts, a cup of cooking oil. A bowl in her hands held a few eggs.

"What the...?"

She spun when he stomped into the room.

"Duo? What's wrong?"

"Stupid splinter," he muttered, ashamed to have anyone see him in such a ticked off mood. Especially the sweet Cara. Over the last three days, he'd come to realize just how wrong Quatre had been about her. She was actually very nice, and she didn't really hold a grudge- like she'd said, she'd had a hard time a work. Everyone needed to vent sometime or another. After that first awkward meeting in the hallway, Duo'd come to respect the young doctor. Respect and .... something more, maybe...

"A splinter? Come here," she set the bowl she was holding down, opened a drawer and pulled out a little white box.

"It's nothing," he said, a bit vehemenently.

"Nonsense. I'm the doctor here, so I'll say what's nothing." She did this for a living, he reminded himself. She knew how to handle unruly patients. But he still tried to duck out of the room before she could catch him.

She snagged his collar before he could storm away, and forcefully pushed him back against a clean part of the counter, using her hip to keep him in place. He tried not to think too much about the way her hip and thigh were touching his.

There were no stools around, so she ordered him to sit on the counter. He did so grudgingly, muttering as she grabbed his hand and looked at the viscious spinter.

"Ohh, boy. More like a tree trunk than a splinter, but we'll have it out in no time." She held on to his finger with one hand and opened the little box with the other. Duo closed his eyes and let her bend over his finger, working away, and ignored the sting when she applied antiseptic to the slinter wound, blowing gently to dry it, and then dabbed a bit of iodine over it. She had a lovely bedside manner... er, counter-side manner, he corrected. He opened his eyes and stared down at the back of her head. She'd let her hair down tonight, and it had a slight wave in it. And she smelled like jasmine.

He knew it made no sense. He'd thought that after Hilde, he couldn't feel this attracted to someone else. Much less such a pacifist doctor as Cara- despite her endless legs and her gorgeous eyes. And much less, Quatre's sister- a woman with more family than hairs on her head. But he did care, he did feel, he did want her. She laughed at his jokes, she was utterly feminine, but she could piece apart her motorcycle and put it back together as easily as she could do surgery on a human being. Cara really was exquisite. It shouldn't be a crime to feel this way. And he was Duo Maxwell... since when did he care if something was a crime or not?

"There all done," Cara set the tweezers and splinter down. "Now you can quite acting like such a..."

She looked up, and her voice trailed off. Her gaze was locked with his, her blue... his violet. He knew it was a manuever, but he didn't care. He held her gaze- an easy feat with such intense eyes as his, and then kissed her.

He kept it gentle, casual, but he gave just a little heat, telling her he wanted more- sometime or other. Through sheer will power, he didn't touch her, just kissed her softly, sweetly. Lord, she tasted like the chocolate she'd been making- she must have stolen a few bites of fudge. His tounge darted out to taste the cocoa on her lips, she sighed a little. He broke the kiss as quickly as he'd started it, then smiled at her. It was a bright smile, but more genuine than many he'd given others.

"Thank you," he said. She was confused for a moment, then she smiled back. Partly because she still held his hand. She lifted his hand, kissed the end of his finger. Just a brush of the lips, nothing more.

"To make it feel better," she explained softly, then turned and left the room quickly, forgetting her brownie making supplies still on the counter.

Duo sat there, looked at his hand, at the clean, clear skin where only a small cut and a small dab of iodine showed where the splinter had been. He recalled the feel of her lips beneath his, then the feel of those same pink lips across the little wound on his finger.

This was really something to think on.

No one had ever kissed him where it hurt before.

**AN: Reveiw and comment! Criticism is welcome as well!**


	4. Pottery Lessons and Dorothy's Dress

**'So go grant your soul dance,**

**Baby, time to be yourself at last,**

**Unshackle your life spirit,**

**By a river from the past...'**

_**lovepassionfuryenergy, Lita theme song (WWE)**_

Chapter Four:

**Pottery Lessons and Dorothy's Dress**

He decided to give pottery a go.

Only... it wasn't going much of anywhere.

The lump of clay wasn't doing much of anything but spinning... and spinning... and spinning.

He heard her soft laugh, and he turned to look at her, standing in the open doorway, with a baleful stare.

"What's so funny? You think you can do better?"

She smiled, entered his room. She wore a loose T-shirt and plain simple jeans. Her hair was pulled into a loose ponytail held by her beloved red ribbon. She was beautiful... at least to him.

"You're going about it all wrong. You have to be gentle with it. The shape is in the clay... you just have to bring it out."

She slipped in front of him, kneeling on the floor, and took his hands. "Give the pedal a little push... yes that's it. Just a bit... you don't want to sling the stuff everywhere. Here," she guided his hands, cupping hers over them, pressing his fingers to the spinning, wet clay.

"Just be gentle."

"I don't know how to be gentle," he said with a frustrated sigh as the form crumpled again.

"Yes... you do," she retorted. "Just like touching a person."

He breathed in her scent... jasmine and lavender... and refrained from reminding her that all his life... if he touched someone- it was to cause pain.

He saw her smile as he looked over her shoulder. Damn... she'd noticed him sniffing her hair.

"Like touching me," she breathed softly, taking a different approach. "You wouldn't grab, or be rough," she pushed his hands into the clay, her hands becoming as gray and wet as his. "Just be gentle," she repeated. "Easy, just like this. See?"

The ball of clay was forming up into an oblong cylinder.

She guided his thumb over the top of it, down, hollowing out the cylinder.

"Soft. Easy. Just a brush of your hand. It doesn't have to be hard or quick. Just slow-like. Real slow," her voice lowered, her hands moved up his arms, letting his hands remain on the roughly formed vase. "That's it... you've got it."

"I do?" He was looking at her. She tilted her head to the side, smiled at him. She was staring in his eyes.

"Yes," she said, a little breathlessly. He slowly stopped the pottery wheel, and leaned down to kiss her. It was just as soft and slow as the first. Her hands were still on his arms. She sighed into him, leaned back against his chest.

Oh, lord, he thought. She was getting to him. After Hilde... he didn't think anyone could get to him. But she could... she was. He gently ran his tongue across her bottom lip, seeking entrance. She granted it, her lips parting slightly, just enough to tease him. She ran her hand up and down his arm, heedless of the grayness she was transferring to him. Duo leaned down more, deepening the kiss, taking more than he'd dared last time, heating the kiss up just a bit, adding the passion to mix with the gentleness. She responded warmly, beautifully, her tongue sweeping along his lips, darting inside softly, mingling with his own. There was no rush, no hurry. It was languid, sweet. He'd known her all of a few days now, and he was finding himself drowning in tenderness, drowning in her.

She was the one to break off the kiss this time. She gave one last swipe of her tounge across his, one last little nip at his bottom lip as she drew back, her eyes fluttering open.

"I..." she breathed, her eyes a little cloudy. "I have to go. I was just on my way to meet Dorothy." She slipped away from him, her arms and hands covered in gray. She paused in the doorway, throwing a soft look over her shoulder.

"Just remember... gently. Soft."

And then she was gone.

He invited her to go clubbing with him the next night. She refused.

Only half of him was surprised. The half that thought she liked him, that is. The other half, the sensible half, said that she wasn't the type of girl to go clubbing.

So, he went by himself. As usual, within an hour in the club, he was covered in a crowd of females- and even the occasional guy. But there was no fun in it. He shrugged them off to walk to the bar. And was greeted by a very odd, but delicious sight.

A woman. Tall, with a mass of sandy, ash blond curls bouncing around her pretty, heart-shaped face. Clear, ocean blue eyes. Cara stared back at him, a smile on her face. Silver dangles winked at her ears, around her wrists. And she wore some skimpy little short, short, short mini dress made of silver and blue sequins. The dress showcased her miles of leg, as did the skinny, silver little heels. The outfit was astonishing, but clearly not hers. It fit a little to tight around the top, a little too loose around the waist, and was a little too short. Considering the dress, Duo was inclined to believe it a lone from Dorothy Catalonia, always eager to find a way to cause trouble.

"Dorothy?" he asked when he was within earshot.

Her grin widened. "Nearly pushed me out the door, she did. 'Live a little,' she said. 'That boy with the pretty eyes has gone clubbing,' she said. 'You should go,' she said."

"So you came?" he tried to hid his glee.

"She even shoved the clothes on me." She tugged at the hem of the dress. "Or lack thereof," she muttered.

He had to admit that she looked drop-dead gorgeous, but a lot higher-class than most of the women in this particular club.

Duo swiftly moved his body between her and a man who was looking at her in a bit too friendly of a manner. One glare from him, and the guy backed off.

"You look lovely, tonight," he said.

She grinned. "I look like a high class hooker," she returned.

"No. They don't have quite the... elegance you have."  
She leaned in, up next to his ear to whisper.

"And you would know this how?"

Duo flushed, stammered something- he didn't know what. Cara leaned back and laughed, full, bright, and bubbly. He could only frown, then grin when he realized he'd set himself up with that one.

"That was evil."

She shrugged, the movement shifting her dress. Duo repressed a groan as it slipped a bit further up her thigh.

"Dance with me," he said. He liked the song that was just coming on. A bit slow, but a bit loud. A very steamy kind of song. He held out his hand to her, and she placed hers in it gently.

She nodded and he lead her out to the dancefloor, winding in between other couples... both straight and not-so-straight.

He pulled her close, and he had to admit... she was quite a good dancer. Not as good as some others... and certainly not as well, bold... but she was still good. He couldn't help but moan at the way she circled him, always staying close enough to touch, at the way her hands always remained linked with his.

That song ended, another began. Duo couldn't count how many songs where they just stayed there, dancing away into the night.

He finally asked her if she wanted a drink. She shook her head, leaned up to whisper in his ear, to talk over the noise.

"No. I want to go home."

"Home?" Duo frowned... it was still so early! "But I thought we were having so much fun?"

She laughed at his crestfallen face. He knew he looked like a kicked puppy, and he didn't care.

"I want to go home with you," she corrected herself.

"Are you sure?" Duo asked. He wasn't even quite sure he'd heard her right, or interpreted it correctly.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, kissed him surely, letting her tongue dance with his in a kiss much deeper and hotter than their previous ones before she pulled back a little.

"Only if you want to," she replied.

Duo took her hand in his and lead her from the club. And then he lead her home.


	5. The Morning After

**'You're not alone, together we stand,**

**I'll be by your side, you know I'll take your hand.'**

_**Keep Holding On, Avril Lavigne**_

Chapter Five:

**The Morning After**

Duo awakened to the sound of someone banging on the door.

"Duo!" Quatre called. "I know you went out last night... but I also know you you went to bed by three. It's a quarter past one in the afternoon. I need you to get up. Cara is gone. She hasn't left a note, and I'm worried. Duo? Duo!"

Duo started, lifted his head. Cara was snuggled up against his side, her head on his shoulder. And he was surprised to find that he liked her there. It felt good to have her up next to him, relaxed and still utterly spent.

"Wha..." she murmured sleepily, snuggling closer. Duo had just a second to fell a knee-jerk response of male pride before Quatre banged on the door again.

"DUO! You got to the count of three before I knock down this door! One..."

"Quatre?" she asked a bit softly, jerking upright, now fully awake. "Oh, Allah! No. This's not good."

"You got that right," Duo whispered, grabbing for the nearest clothes. At least he could confront Quatre with clothes on. Cara did likewise, grabbing the nearest piece of clothing.

"Two...."

The door rattled as Quatre banged.

Cara pulled the shirt down, belatedly realizing it was many sizes to large, and that it was Duo's.

"Three..."

The door slammed open, and Quatre stumbled in.

"Duo! What do you think..."

Quatre stopped dead in his tracks, and Duo could only guess at the sight they presented. Cara kneeling on the bed, Duo's shirt hastily pulled on. And Duo... uh oh. It finally occurred to him why the pants he was trying to pull on were too small- because they weren't his pants. It was Cara's sequin dress. And it was stuck around his knee. So much for confronting with clothes on.

"Quatre," Cara began. "Look, it's not..."

Quatre made a strangled noise... and looked about half strangled, considering the flush on his face and the bugged eyes.

He turned, nearly ran out the door.

"Quatre, wait!" Cara ran after him, forgetting that Duo's shirt was all she wore... and that it only reached half-way down her thighs.

Duo dropped the dress, and found his own pants and another shirt before leaving to find them. Somethings you let family deal with. Somethings, you had to step in and interfere

"Quatre, wait!. Please, it's not... oh!"

Duo found them. Cara blushing, Quatre enraged, standing in front of Trowa, Wufei, and Dorothy all sitting at the lunch table.

"What's all the commotion?" Dorothy demanded, then looked at Cara. "And what have you been up to? Or who, should I ask?"

"Quatre, listen..." She was ignoring Dorothy, begging at her brother.

"Cara..." Quatre said finally. "What on earth are you thinking? Have you no self respect? How low can you fall? To... to..."His voice rose, and finally cracked.

"Hey," Duo snapped. "Don't talk to her like that!"

"What's going on here?" Dorothy demanded, standing up and coming around the table, a hard gleam in her eyes. She knew exactly where Cara had been the night before, so she had a good idea about where Cara was this morning... even if Cara and Duo's appearance hadn't all but shouted it out.

"Cara!" Quatre screamed at his own lover. "I found her... I found her in bed with him!" He pointed at Duo.

Dorothy smiled. "Well, good for them."

Trowa's eyebrow raised.

Both of Wufei's eyebrows went up.

"Maxwell had sex with your up-tight, anti-social sister? I'll have to give him a raise in my estimations, althought I'm not surprised, considering."

"Hey," Duo and Quatre snapped simultaneously.

"Quatre," Cara pleaded. "Just listen to me..."

"Listen to what? You justify this? You have no self respect, no standards, no inhibitions. Did you even stop to think? This is so...Do you realize how..."

Cara's eyes had been steadily filling with tears, and they broke over. She let loose a sob and rushed away.

"Quatre," Dorothy admonished severely before rushing after Cara.

Duo had Quatre by the collar before Dorothy had left. He went nose to nose, lifting the shorter boy to his toes.

"Don't," he said, his voice low and cold, "Don't ever talk to her like that. Like she's stupid or something. She may be your sister... but you won't talk down to her like that for any reason. Say whatever the hell you like about me... but you will not talk to her like that!"

Quatre, surprised into submission, just stood there as Duo left to find Cara and Dorothy.

He heard Wufei comment behind him.

"If I didn't know the baka well enough, I'd say he cared about the girl."

Damnit, he thought. Why was it so hard for them to believe? What was it about him that made them think he was incapable of sustaining genuine human feelings? Was he that wishy-washy- that childish- to them? And was it such a horrible thought that Quatre had to act like the world was caving in just because his sister had slept with him- Duo Maxwell.

Was he good enough to trust to watch their backs in a fire fight, to trust with their lives, but not with the body- or maybe heart- of a beautiful, kind woman?

He found her in her bathroom, staring at the tub, filling with water. Her hair was a long mess of tangles, her eyes were dark, her skin pale under his black T-shirt. She looked so completely lost, such a mess. But she was the most beautiful mess he'd ever seen.

He crossed to the tub, turned off the tap and perched on the rim. He held out his hands, laced his fingers with hers and drew her forward.

"He'll come around. Don't worry. Quatre's not one to hold a grudge or stay mad long." It was a stupid thing to say, he knew. She probably knew Quatre alot better than he did.

"Why's he mad anyway?" she asked softly, leaning into him. Duo let his arms go around her waist, hold her close.

"I don't know. Maybe it's just shock. I mean," he grinned a little, "It's not every day that you walk in and see your best friend and your sister naked in bed together. Now is it?"

"No," she smiled a little, "I guess it isn't. That would be awkward."

Duo felt a weight lift off him. He'd been a little worried that Cara was so ashamed she didn't want to see him or speak to him, but no. She drew comfort from him- and that wasn't something he was used to.

"Come on," he said, drawing the shirt she wore up. He would distract her. "Let's get you in the tub and cleaned up."

"Alright. But only if you get cleaned up with me," she grinned wickedly, thoroughly distracted.

Duo pretended to think for a moment. The he smiled widely. "Sounds like a good deal to me."

**AN: Eh... er. OOC for Quat. I know. Really OOC. But come on, like Duo said... if you walked in and saw your best friend (who happens to be mentally unstable ex-assassin and not very good at relationships) and your sister (who you've deemed shy and anti-social and who you think hates soldiers) in bed... together... naked... Well, hey, you might loose your cool a bit, too.**


	6. Without Her?

**'And all I can taste is this moment,**

**And all I can breath is your life,**

**And sooner or later it's over,**

**I just don't want to miss you tonight.'**

**Iris, Goo-Goo Dolls**

_Chapter Six:_

_Without Her?_

Duo watched Cara dress. Pulling on undergarments first, a pair of short shorts next, and lastly a sung T-shirt. She slipped her feet into thong sandals. Her hair was still down, a glorious mass of messy, tousled curls. The dawn sun, peaking in through the slitted curtains, played on the highlights and colors of her pale gold hair, and cast shadows in her aqua eyes. She was beautiful. And for the moment, at least, she was his.

She smiled, looking over at him. He was still in bed, the sheets piled around his waist. He was propped up on one elbow, just staring at her.

"See something you like?" She asked. He narrowed his indigo-violet eyes at her.

"Only you," he replied truthfully. Ever since she'd came here, it was true. He was blinded by her light. She was all he could see. And he most definitely liked it- a lot.

Her smile brightened, and she came back over to the bed, leaning down to indulge him with one long, sweet kiss. He lifted his hand to her cheek, slipping it into her soft, luxurious hair. He moved, made to deepen the kiss, but she pulled back with a smile.

"No," she said. "It's too late in the morning for that. I'm meeting Dorothy for breakfast in a few minutes anyway."

"Aww," he pouted, sending her a wounded look.

She laughed, pulling away. She went to the door, but before she left, she looked over her shoulder at him. He knew the sight he must make.

His dark, indigo eyes glowing purple, his lips maybe just a little swollen from her kiss. His hair a disastrous mess from the night before. And that damn little hickey on his neck he'd noticed yesterday, now probably fading. What a sight he probably made! But whatever she saw, she must have liked because she smiled at him once more.

"Hold onto that thought, though," she said. "Breakfast shouldn't last too long."

He was still smiling when she left, closing the door behind her. Damn. How'd he fall so fast? And what did he do to deserve such a woman?

It was slow going, but over the last week, Quatre had slowly gotten used to the idea that his sister was sleeping with Duo Maxwell. There had been no apologies, or forgiving yet, but Quatre was... well, he wasn't warming to the fact, but rather grudgingly accepting it. His normal personality was showing back through, and tensions had eased quite a bit. Nothing he had said... or yelled... had forced Cara away from Duo, but had forced her away from Quatre. Duo was still amazed that Cara felt that way. She would have pushed her brother away instead of stepping away from Duo.

Any other woman, Duo would have said it was pride, revenge. Saying 'you cant make me leave him. You're not the boss of me.' But with Cara, it was much more simple. He thought that she thought her feelings for Duo were strong enough, important enough to risk her relationship with her younger brother.

Duo was quietly in awe. No one had ever felt like that about him before. That she did, well, it was new to him. Like a little miracle. He promised himself that he wouldn't botch this. He wouldn't mess this relationship up.

And when he woke up in the mornings, she was there beside him, snuggled close. In less than two weeks, she'd become like his best friend. He suddenly couldn't imagine what life would be like when she left. She'd given him meaning to his life again. All the others had something to do. Sure, only Heero- the least likely one- had stuck with the Preventers. Everyone else had given it up before even a year was up- Trowa had actually only made it four months.

Duo hadn't lasted four weeks. There seemed to be nothing he was good enough at to get by with in this new peaceful world. Death had been all he knew. But Cara made him feel worthwhile, even if he was just deadweight these days. Even if she wasn't going to be here forever. Duo closed his eyes, not wanting to get up until Cara returned, and drifted back to sleep with that one little thought nagging at the back of his mind.

What was he going to do when she left?


	7. How Do We Tell Your Brother?

**'So keep on breathing,**

**Cause I'm not leaving,**

**Hold onto me,**

**And never let me go.'**

_**Far Away, Nickleback**_

_Chapter Seven:_

_How do we tell your brother?_

Things went great for another two weeks, and then came the day he'd dreaded.

"Duo... I'm going back to Luna Colony in two days," Cara said over a private breakfast. She forked a piece of sausage, and Duo felt his heart start to crumble. He'd prayed that something would happen to make her want to stay, but his heart hadn't really been in it. She wanted something to do, something worthwhile. Sitting around like this, doing nothing, it wasn't for her. She needed a purpose. Just like he did. Only.... she had a purpose. She had a life to go back to.

And he was nothing. He was merely an insignificant and useless and purpose-less person. She didn't need him. She didn't care for him like he'd come to care for him. She couldn't. All the things people had told him, he'd began to beleive. He was not worthy of her. He knew it. SHe knew it. Hell, everyone knew it.

And now was the time she'd set him down and spell it out for him. That he was merely a convinient lay, that it had been fun while it lasted, but she had better things to do. The words that Hilde had spoken, so long ago it seemed, but not really all that long. _'It's just that I decided I wanted more. I want to go somewhere, do something. I want to get away from this life. And I can't do that with you, Duo. I need more. I need someone to decide. I want someone to... beleive in themselves.' _He fiddled with his plate, his eyes downcast as he lifted another tiny bite to his mouth, his heart suddenly broken.

"I... I really like you, you know." she continued almost a little sheepishly. "And I.... I'd like you to come back with me."

Duo choked down his slice of bacon as she took a hasty sip of juice. Not what he was expecting

"What?"

"I'd like you to come back to Luna Colony with me when I go back to the hospital." She spoke softly, her voice sure. "I don't make decisions lightly. But I'd really love for you to come with me."

"You want me to go to Luna Colony with you? Why?"

"Because I like you. I like spending time with you. My apartment's big enough for both of us. There's a ton of things you could do, there if you wanted. I've only got a year left at the hospital, and then I'm coming back here to start my own practice. If you'd like to wait til then," she sounded a little sad. She had started out talking fast, in a rush, but now her voice was slow, and low, "see if we still feel the same in a year..."

"No. I mean... yes. I'd love to go with you. If you're sure you want me to."

She smiled brightly, her eyes lifting to meet his. "Yes, yes, of course. I wouldn't have asked if I didn't."

Everyone else he knew as settling down into lives... even Heero. He was helping Releena lead the world into peace. They still used the pretense of his being her 'bodyguard', but everyone knew that it was much more than that. Quatre... he did the same thing as always. He spent his days at his home, running his company from afar. Trowa went back, on and off, to the circus trying to work things out with Catherine. One step forward, then two steps back with those two. They couldn't seem to make up their minds. Wufei stayed at Quatre's, but he was looking for his own little nook in the new world- with a little helpful input from Sally Po. And now, Duo was finding his. Maybe he could go back to school. Though he was intelligent , school had never been his strong suit- and he'd not actually been able to go but for a short while on missions during the war, but maybe he could become a doctor- or at least a nurse. Or he could just become a mechanic- God knew he was good at that.

Life was about to get interesting. But he could handle that. With Cara by his side... he was certain he could handle that. There was just one little problem he wasn't so sure he could handle, though. He smiled across the table at Cara, and she smiled back. Yeah, life was good.

"I just got one question though," he said as she started to raise another piece of sausage. She looked up at him, her blue eyes glowing, her lips quirked up in a smile.

"What's that?"

Duo smirked.

"How do we tell your brother?"


	8. One &12 years later

**'Never gonna regret, watchin' every sunset,**

**Listen to your heart beat, all the love that we've felt.'**

_**Rooftops, LostProphets**_

_Epilogue:_

_One & 1/2 years later..._

"Alright, Jason. Looks like you're up next!"

Duo beamed brightly down at the five year old, who cringed and made a face akin to sucking on a lemon.

"Is it gonna hurt?" His voice was low, scared despite his outward demeanor.

Duo picked him up before even the mother could react, balancing the little boy on his hip, over top of his white lab-coat.

"It's a shot, Jason," Duo said. "It's gonna hurt just a little. You remember the other times you got shots, right? It'll all be over in a second... and then you get a lollipop! And maybe," he added in a conspirator's whisper, as if he was telling a secret, as he settled the boy down onto the exam bed, "Maybe just maybe, Doctor Cara will let you have a balloon, too!"

The boy smiled, albeit a little hesitantly, as Cara, clad in khaki slacks, a blue sweater, and a white lab-coat entered the little exam room. She made herself busy out of the boy's sight.

"So, Jason," Duo asked. "You decided what you wanna be when you grow up?"

The boys eyes lighted up. He liked to talk about stuff. He really, really liked to talk. "Yeah! I wanna be a Gundam pilot! They're so cool, the way they saved the world and stuff."

Duo chuckled. "Pretty cool, indeed."

"Have you ever met a mobile suit pilot? A Gundam pilot?" The boy asked, in awe that a grown-up agreed with him. "Like, really for real?"

Duo smiled. "Once or twice, kiddo. But that was a very, very long time ago."

"Really? That's really, really cool. Did you get to see his... ow!" He glared a quite evil, but adorable, glare at Cara, standing there with her hands up in the air with a small little needle in one hand and a alcohol prep pad in the other, as if he were just remembering she was in the room. She and Duo had this routine down to an art.

Cara grinned.

"All done. That was it."

Duo chuckled as Jason, a lollipop in his mouth, and a string tied to a bright yellow helium balloon clutched in his hand, ran out of the room. Duo wrapped his arm around Cara and stole a quick kiss before he walked back into the office to look at the schedule lists. Life had it's ups and downs, but it was good. He thought about Cara as he sat down in the chair at the computer.

And he couldn't help but smile when his eye caught sight of the small sign outside of the window.

_**Family First Pediatrics**_

_**Doctor Caralyn Winner, M.D.**_

_**Duo Maxwell, LPN**_

*

AN: Finished! Who wants the sequel? Yes... there is a sequel. It's called... drumroll please.... Standing On The Rooftops! Yep! Just like my name! So let me know what you thought of this... and if you'd be interested in a sequel! Love ya all!


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